The Dark Night and his Amazon Princess
by Creativecat5
Summary: What happens when Wonder Woman finally convinces Batman to give up his dating within the League rules?


Girl Talk

In the watchtower cafeteria Shayera is silently sitting across from John and Vixen watching them eating their lunch. Wonder Woman is looking for a place to sit and walks up to Hawk Girl

"Can I sit here?" Asked Wonder woman noticing the frustrated look on Hawk girl's face, which was evident even with her mask on.

"It's a free world last time I checked and I guess that is no thanks to me" replied Hawkgirl.

Wonder Woman expected a response along those lines given how they were still not on the best of terms since the Thanagarian invasion. Both of them had tried to some extent to reach a truce after Sherya returned from her stay with Dr. Fate.

"I thought it would be nice if we shared another meal together since the one we had with my mother on Thamiscara and anyway it's the least I can do for you since you literally went to "Hell" and back with me"

Wonder Woman didn't even get a smile from Hawk Girl on that comment so she thought she would try and change the subject "So how are things going with you and John?"

Shayera replied with an irritated tone "it's very complicated" "What about you and Batman, how are things going between you guys?"

"It's also very complicated," replied Diana. Just then Flash walks up and says in his typical smart aleck way "So what are my two favorite women talking about? I know don't tell me how sexy you think I am in my tights right?"

In unison Hawk Girl and Wonder Woman say " Wally go away" Flash trying to take the brush off with dignity mumbled, "OK, OK, I get it girl talk and you need privacy. Jeez"

"OK you go first" Wonder Woman said after Wally had left.

Shayera considered if she should be discussing her personal matters with another member of the Justice League especially one who she hadn't always gotten along with but she realized she had no one else to turn to. "Well I still really care for him but I do not think he can forgive me for my part in the invasion and I can't say that I blame him"

"Then there is Vixen, I respect her as a colleague. She and I came to an understanding about John after we went on that mission together where my former Thanagarian comrades tried to ambush me for my betrayal" Diana nodded her head indicating she understood.

Sheyera hesitated but decided to go on. "Diana I had heard that you went on a mission into the future with John and Batman but you did not remember anything about it when the guys came back. Were you ever told about what happened?

"Not exactly but John accidentally let something slip about it once so I did some research on the Watch Tower logs and I was able to find the report John and Bruce filed under the name The Chronos mission. The report had said I had accompanied them on the first part of the mission but I vanished before it was completed."

Diana was not sure how much of this she should share with Shayera but she thought she owed it to Shyera "Since I had no recollection of this I decided to go see Zatana and find out if she could use some sort of magic to help me remember what happened."

"Did it work?" asked Sheyera. "Yes, with her help I was able to remember most of what happened" Sheyera looked surprised. "Well I didn't realize you were such a detective" Diana smiled "I guess Bruce is finally rubbing off on me" "So then you must know that John and I had a son called War Hawk"

"Yes it was hard not to notice the resemblance" Diana said quietly but in her mind was wondering, as she had done many times before, who was the younger Batman she met on that same trip. She found out that his name was Terry McGinnis but that was it.

Shayera now seemed to have a slight hint of tears in her eyes when she said "It took a while after that trip for John to even tell me that he had met our son and at that time he also reminded me that he was going to stay with Vixen. So I went to Batman to ask him to tell me about my son and even though he has never been my biggest fan, he was willing to tell me what I wanted to know"

At this point Shayera lifted her head up and looked directly at Diana and said, "yes I know that both you and Batman voted against me staying in the League."

Then because she was tired of sharing her story Shayera decided to turn the table on Diana and said " Now its your turn"

Diana looked around to make sure no one could hear them and started to speak very softly "just before Circe turned me into a pig, Batman and I had a chance to talk and I indirectly asked him out on a date and he said and I quote " 1) dating within the team always leads to disaster 2) you are a princess from a society of immortal warriors and I am a rich kid with issues, lots of issues, and 3) if my enemies knew I had someone special they would not rest until they had gotten to me through her".

Shayera shook her head "obviously no one else follows that no dating within the league rule. I can name a few including Green Arrow and Siren and obviously myself and John and Vixen"

"Well no offense but I am sure Batman uses your and John's relationship as justification for his policy" Diana continued "there have been only a few times we have even gotten close to a romantic relationship. The first was when I got to dance with him as Bruce Wayne before I knew he was Batman. The second time was when I got to kiss him but it was just a way to hide from your fellow Thanagarians during the invasion."

Shyera in surprise exclaimed "So you mean to tell me after all this time that you have only kissed once" and before she could finish Diana said "can you be a little more discreet, and yes that's it if you don't count the time I kissed him on the cheek when he tried to dig me out from under that rocket"

"Wow" is all Sheya could reply. "Well what did you expect?" answered Diana a little annoyed at Hawk Girl's response.

"Oh I am sorry I tend to forget you lived without men for a long time" Sherya said in an apologetic way.

Sherya continued on "Well I do know this Batman was extremely distraught when we thought we had lost you during that rocket incidence in Gorilla City. Come to think of it that is the only time I have ever seen him lose his composure so that must mean he really cares about you".

"Well he acts like it would kill him to tell me how he feels directly" Diana stated. I did find out from Zatanna that he admitted to her that he had feelings for me.

Shyera's voice showed excitement when she exclaimed, "you know what we should do; we should use that golden lasso of yours and get those guys to tell us how they really feel. If it worked on that Abnegazar guy it could work on them"

"I wish I could but you and I know that would not be right," replied Diana but she was seriously tempted by the idea.

Then Shyera had another idea "what about asking a favor from your friend Aphrodite couldn't she whip up something being the goddess of love and all" Diana replied "I would really like to keep her out of this".

"Guys you can't live with them and you can't live without them well I guess except maybe if you're an Amazon" Shayera said in a sarcastic tone. "

"Hey wait a minute weren't you the one who once told me not to nock living in man's world until I tried it?" sneered Diana.

The Letter

Bruce was trying to recover from a rough night of crime fighting in Gotham. He was currently in the library drinking some sort of revival concoction that Alfred had brought to him and he was deep in thought as he was looking up at the portrait of his mother and father.

"Excuse me Master Bruce, I am sorry to interrupt but I found something I think you will find extremely interesting," said Alfred with an excited look on his usual stoical face.

"What is it Alfred?" asked Bruce Alfred hesitated a little before answering "Well while I was cleaning out an old storage area of the mansion I found this envelop. It appeared to be quite old and when I took a closer look I realized that it was a card that accompanied a gift sent to you by your parents on that last business trip they took. Do you remember?"

Bruce quickly searched his memory to see if he could recall where the envelope came from. He always found it painful to bring up his childhood but he wanted to remember the incident before he looked at the contents in the envelope.

It was from the trip his parents took a few weeks before their death. He really did not want them to go but it was an important business trip for his father and his mother wanted to go along so she could get away from the mansion for a while. Bruce needed to stay so he would not miss any school.

A week after they left a package showed up at the door for Bruce. He remembered Alfred bringing it to him and his own excitement at trying to figure out what was in it before he opened it. He used his already developed deductive skills to determine it was the detective kit he had been asking for since he saw it advertised on a commercial months before.

Alfred's question of "Master Bruce are you planning on opening the envelope?" brought him back to the present moment. Bruce noticed that the envelope was still sealed. Apparently he had been so engrossed in guessing the present when he was a child that he forgot to open the envelope. It was just like Alfred to have saved it after all these years.

At this moment Alfred felt the need to apologize for not having found it sooner but he had thought Master Bruce had read it when it had arrived all those years ago.

So after his apology Alfred exited the room leaving Bruce alone to read his parent's card. Bruce slowly and carefully opened the envelope and saw the familiar Wayne family crest on a white note card.

He started to read the words that were obviously written in his mother's neat handwriting.

Dear Son,

We know how disappointed you were not being able to come with us on this trip. I trust you are behaving your self and not giving Alfred too much of a hard time.

As usual your father is busy with his work responsibilities so I found some time to go shopping and get you that detective kit you have been hounding us about for months. I bet you knew what it was before you had taken off the wrapping.

Even though your father still has hopes that you will someday follow in his footsteps by taking over Wayne Industries, he deep down knows that is not were your heart wants to go. So we both want you to know that you do not need to do any thing out of guilt or obligation to us. Your happiness is what is most important to us and please remember that above all else!

We will be back soon and then we can take you to see that movie you have wanted to see in the meantime enjoy your present.

Love Always,

Mom and Dad

Bruce sat in silence for quite some time after reading the letter. The message in the letter was clear and he was realizing now that the sacrifices he made to become batman were obviously not what his parents really would have wanted. What would have happened if he had read this letter when he originally received it? Would the batman have been created? What should he do know? Too many questions and not enough answers.

Back at the watchtower, Diana was drinking a double mocha and decided she needed to make a trip down to see Bruce. She needed to know once and for all where their relationship stood. So she hopped onto the teleporter after indicating the destination of Wayne Manor.

"Good day Princess Diana" Alfred said "Alfred, please just call me Diana" she replied. Diana decided to wear her favorite dress, which was a deep shade of blue and brought out her eyes and accentuated her curvy Amazon body. She also wore a pair of sexy and expensive Manolo Blahnik shoes (which she got a great deal on curtsey of Vixen who had access to all kinds of designer apparel at discount prices due to her modeling career)

She recalled the comment Batman once made about her wearing high-heeled shoes to fight crime.

Diana was nervous but sounded tried to sound confident when she asked "Is Bruce available?" "Greetings Princess Diana, he is at home and is in the library, let me announce your arrival and I will be right back," said Alfred. Diana replied "Thank you Alfred please just call me Diana, the princess part is really not necessary".

When Alfred knocked on the library door Bruce was actually in deep thought again but this time it was ironically about Diana. He was just thinking about what could make him happy and his conclusion was spending more time with Diana. He remembered the dance they shared in Paris, the kiss she initiated at the restaurant and how he felt the two times he thought he had lost her. He thought about what he had been willing to sacrifice to Circe to change Diana back to her human form. He may have only had to sing at the nightclub but he would have been willing to expose his true identity to save her. Just then he heard a knock at the door.

He heard Alfred's muffled voice behind he door "Excuse me sir, you have a guest at the front door, it is Princess Diana. Shall I show her in?"

What timing he thought. It was if she could read his mind but he knew only Jonn Jonnz had that ability and luckily he was not able to use it on Batman when he wore his cowl with its special lining. "Yes Alfred please show her in"

When Diana walked into the room he immediately realized that ever time he saw her she seemed even more beautiful than the time before and this time was no exception. "So Princess what brings you to my door?" he asked in his deepest baritone voice. "Well I thought since you were such a good detective you may have already figured that out" Diana replied.

"I have long ago given up trying to figure out what motivates women to do what they do" he replied in a somewhat sarcastic tone. "Well having lived with just women most of my life I do not understand why men are the way they are especially the ones with dual identities and those who choose to go around wearing tights and capes" she adeptly replied.

"Touché" he said and realized that she was one of the few people that could verbally spar with him and was also one of the only ones not affected by his sinister bat glare. It was because of these talents that made him all the more attracted to her. She was very different from the other women of his past. She was stronger and very independent.

"I wanted to talk to you about your reasons for not dating me. As I recall we did not get a chance to finish that conversation and I had a few things that I wanted to say" she stated. "Go ahead I am listening and please sit down and make yourself comfortable. Would you like Alfred to bring you some refreshments?"

As she sat down on the large expensive yet comfortable sofa she politely replied "No thank you".

She thought about whether her next question was going to sound strange but she asked it anyway. "I am not sure if I need to be speaking to you as Bruce or as Batman? I feel that the response I get may be different depending on if you are wearing your cowl or not"

He realized that she could be right about that but answered "I can assure you that you will get the same honest response no matter what I am wearing" he replied with conviction

So after getting that out of the way she decided to start right into her reason for the visit "I am not buying the three reasons you gave me that day for not dating me. First, there are quite a few couples that are dating within in the league and before you can say anything not all of them end up like Green Lantern's and Hawk Girl's. Look at Green Arrow and Siren" She was glad she had gotten that out quickly. He did not say anything so she continued

"Second as you know I can take care of myself and as long as I am part of the League I am in danger anyway. So if anyone wanted to get to you through me they would have a very tough time of it right?" He could not argue with her logic on that one.

"Finally" she continued, "so what if I am a princess and you are a rich kid with lots of issues? Do you think rich people are the only ones with issues? When I went to Tarturus, I found out that Hades might be my father. I believe you had a chance to see exactly what he is like. How would you like him as a father? In addition to that as you also know my own mother banned me from my home." She could tell she was letting her emotions take over now and she did not want him to see her being weak so she took a deep breath and said, "So I would now like to hear what you have to say".

Bruce had actually enjoyed watching Diana during her little rebuttal. He had noticed how expressive she could be and he remembered back to when he first met her during the alien invasion. Now he was watching how her long hair framed her face and flowed onto her shoulders. So he reluctantly replied "I know the reasons I gave you were not very convincing but I gave them to you in order to hide the real reasons."

"So then are you finally going to tell me what the real reason are because I was seriously tempted to use my golden lasso on you to get them out" Diana interjected.

He laughed at her reply (thinking about how many times he had worried about her using her lasso on him) and then he continued "the truth is that I have been avoiding having a romantic relationship with you because I did not want either of us to get hurt"

Diana did not understand "why would we get hurt?" "Let me explain" Bruce said "In the past my work as Batman did not allow me to completely commit to a relationship. My dedication to be Batman has pushed away all the people who have cared for me and has even put them in danger. Look at what has happened with Night Wing, Bat Girl and Robin.

Bruce took a moment to let her digest all of that before he began again "we also both know that I will grow old and someday die and you as an immortal will stay a beautiful young woman. When that happens will you be able to stay with me?

Diana was grateful that she finally got to hear the real reasons why Bruce had always avoided a romantic relationship with her. She knew she loved him and she felt that they had already lost too much time. So she addressed his concerns head on like she handles pretty much everything.

"I know my love for you is strong enough to overcome these obstacles. What I need to know is if you are willing to face them with me?

Bruce felt he could answer that question much more easily now after reading his parent's letter but the Batman part of him was having still having some difficulties with it. However he finally decided that his happiness now needed to take priority over his obligations as Batman.

"Yes Princess I am willing to face them with you now" and after glancing at his parent's portrait he continued "I have recently come to the conclusion that my priorities need to be adjusted and now would be a good time to start" To make his point clearer he sat down next to her and leaned in and gave her a passionate kiss. She responded with equal enthusiasm.

After their lengthy embrace, Diana asked, "So are we dating as Wonder Woman and Batman or as Bruce and Diana? I think it's important to know who I can be seen with and who I need to sneak around with."

With a satisfied grin on his face Bruce answered "I think we need to make our relationship public as Bruce and Diana and keep the secret rendezvous between Wonder Woman and Batman".

The Good and the Bad

Diana had never been so happy in her life. She had finally convinced Batman to drop his ridiculous rules about not dating within the league and they had been heavy into their romance for quite a while. They had managed a way to have time for their crime fighting duties and for each other. They were seen in public together as Bruce and Diana.

She was remembering the first time she and Bruce had finally consummated their romantic relationship. Bruce had surprised her with a trip back to Paris to finish that dance they had started years before.

"Diana you look lovely in that red dress" Bruce was having a hard time keeping his eyes off her.

Diana chose this dress for this occasion because it showed off her figure. It had showed just enough of her toned body but not too much. "So how did you manage to arrange this private dinner for two at the most popular restaurant along the Champs Elysees?"

"Well the owner owed me a favor." After the dinner he took her dancing. "You know that when I got the chance to dance with you here in Paris is when I finally figured out that Bruce Wayne was Batman."

"How did you figure it out from just a dance?"

"It was easy when I got that close to you as Bruce you had the same distinct smell as Batman plus you both had the same moves."

She noticed that Bruce was looking as handsome as ever in his tuxedo. Together they made the perfect couple. They spent the whole night talking and gazing into each other's eyes. Before they knew it morning had arrived and they grabbed a quick breakfast at a little café and flew back to Wayne Manor.

After they both had a chance to freshen up they ate a delicious lunch, which Alfred had prepared out, on the patio. After lunch Bruce took her hand and slowly led her up to his room.

"Oh Bruce you found out what my favorite flowers are."

"Well you know I am a pretty good detective" The room was covered with red roses and white peonies.

"They are so beautiful." "Nothing but the best for my lovely princess. Wait what is wrong? I thought you liked them?"

"I guess I am a little nervous. I consider myself your equal as a member of the Justice League but when it comes to romance you are way ahead of me."

"I may have dated a lot of other women but none of them was an Amazon Princess. How could any of them compete with your strength, beauty and character?"

He took her hand and she began to relax. "Would you like a glass of champagne?"

She noticed that an ice bucket with a bottle was chilling near the fireplace. He poured each of them a glass and made a toast.

"To my beautiful Princess thank you for showing me how to love again."

After the toast he came toward her and started to kiss her on the lips passionately. Her heart was racing. She felt him slowly work his way down her neck with soft kisses and then he started to remove her clothes.

She stopped him and whispered "Bruce I know this may sound strange but for our first time together I want it to be with Batman because I fell in love with him first.

"Your wish is my command". Bruce was tickled by her request.

He returned quickly wearing the bat suit and then they continued to slowly undress each other. She noticed the scars he had on his body. She felt him gently lifted her onto the bed and she could not help but groan with anticipation. "I love you," she said breathlessly.

His response to her declaration was not with words instead he responded with another passionate kiss to her lips. They made love together all that afternoon until late into the night. Exhausted they both finally fell asleep.

When Diana awoke she found a note on her pillow. "My dear princess, thank you for last night. I have an important job to do otherwise I would not have been able to tear myself away from you. I will return to you soon. Love your Dark Night"

That romantic evening was about eight months ago and they had shared many more just like it but lately she had not been feeling like herself. She was tired and was not able to keep up with her vigorous training regimen like she used to. She woke up feeling sick to her stomach. Her moods were erratic. She would go from being happy to being sad and crying for no apparent reason. . Her appetite had also increased and she would get cravings in the middle of the night.

She needed to talk someone so she mentioned all of this to Shayera who gave her a strange look.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Well princess it sounds like you are pregnant let me guess you and Batman finally took the plunge"

"What are you kidding me pregnant?

"No I am not kidding and I think you should take a pregnancy test confirm it".

"Oh Hera give me strength" She blurted out after she heard that.

After purchasing a pregnancy kit in a disguise, she went to her chamber in the Watchtower for privacy. She could not believe she had to pee on a stick. She breathlessly waited for the results and the stick showed a big blue plus sign. She did it again to be absolutely certain. Once again there was a big blue plus sign. She was excited yet terrified at the same time. She knew she had to tell Bruce but was worried what this was going to do to their relationship.

She was now walking around the gardens at Wayne Manor waiting for Bruce to return from his rounds in Gotham and wondering how she was going to tell him the big news.

Just then she noticed Bruce walking toward her and he looked tired. He must have had a rough patrol she thought. She gave him a big smile.

"Hi Princess Alfred said you were waiting for me out here, so what do I owe for this unexpected visit?" But just as the words left his mouth he could tell she had something she needed to tell him.

"What is it?" he asked feeling a constriction in his chest.

Diana took a deep long breath and began to speak slowly "Bruce I just found out that I am pregnant" She held her breath while she waited for his response. She knew he was an expert at being able to hide his feelings but luckily he did not have his mask to help him out this time.

Bruce thought he was prepared for anything she might have told him except for this. His life raced before his eyes including the scene of his parents being murdered and then he realized he needed to respond to her and quickly. "I am ecstatic but only if this is what you want" he heard himself say as he gave her a hug.

Diana was relieved and felt her body collapse into his strong embrace. "Bruce I was afraid this would change everything between us. How can we raise a child while we are both out fighting crime and defending humanity?"

"Well now that you are pregnant you should really take a break for a while".

Diana recognized the sound of determination in his voice. Diana knew he was right but just hated to have to be side lined from the action.

"Have you told anyone else?" "Only Sheyera because I was not sure at first why I was feeling sick and I didn't want to worry you about it. I made her promise not to tell anyone else and that if she did I would take her back to Tartarus and leave her there."

"I wish you would have come to me first! I do not think anyone else should know until you pass your first trimester. I know a doctor that can see you without anyone else finding out. "Also from now on I want you to stay here at the mansion and take it easy".

Diana was getting bored hanging around the mansion with Alfred. She was not used to just sitting around. Just as she was getting up from a nap she felt a sharp pain in her belly and doubled over. She thought it would go away but it remained persistent. She hated to bother Bruce when he was working but she did not know what else to do so she called him on their special com link he had set up.

"Bruce I hate to bother you but something is wrong," she said in a strained voice. He rushed to the mansion and took her to the doctor. "I'm afraid I have some bad news. Diana has had a miscarriage. It is nothing either of you did wrong it is very common at this stage of a pregnancy". They were both completely devastated.

Diana had never felt this bad before. Being banished from her home was painful but this was worse. She was having a hard time looking Bruce in the eyes.

"Bruce I know what the doctor said but I still feel responsible for causing you more pain." If she told him that she felt that this tragedy was the Gods way of telling her that they did not belong together or for that matter she did not belong in man's world at all he would not understand.

"I need to go back to the island to be with my mother and sisters for a while."

"I don't want you to go but I understand".

A few days later Diana turned to look at Bruce as she prepared to leave and for the first time since she had known him she saw the slight sign of tears in his eyes.

She gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Goodbye Bruce"

"Goodbye Princess" then she climbed into her jet. As he watched her jet disappear into the clouds he knew that she would not be coming back for a long time and if and when she did their relationship would never be the same.

The only way he had been able to survive the past couple of weeks was by throwing himself into his work both as the head of Wayne Enterprise and as Batman. He had discovered a lead on a new nanotechnology project that Amanda Waller just started working on using her Cadmus connections.

The Discovery

In the bat cave Terry McGuiness is pacing around while he is trying to get the courage to confront Bruce and get him to give him more information about who he is. Terry knew there must be more to his past than what he had learned from Amanda Waller who had been part of Cadmus years ago. She had confirmed his suspicion that he was Bruce's son but he found it out was Amanda to had used Bruce's DNA to create him and not Bruce himself. However, when Terry presented this information to Bruce he did not seem at all surprised and Terry felt that there was still more information about his past that Bruce was not sharing.

Then while Terry was trying to dig up more information on Bruce's computer he discovered that three of the Justice League members had traveled 50 years into the future and that he had actually assisted them in their mission to capture a villain named Chronos.

The League was obviously successful in capturing Chronos and restoring the time line continuum, which explained why Terry could not remember being part. It was as if the mission never happened. The report indicated that three League members who participated were Batman, Green Lantern (who Terry knew was War Hawk's father) and Wonder Woman. Terry wondered why Bruce had never told him about this mission since Bruce had already discussed many of the other earlier JLU missions with him.

Terry knew that Batman had broken his ties to the league after the incidence between the Joker and Robin. However, Terry still had a chance to meet some of the remaining original members when they came to visit Batman at the bat cave. He always wondered why Wonder Woman came more than the others and why he when he saw her he always felt there was something strangely familiar about her.

Terry then slowly approached Bruce as he was sitting and staring at the large computer screen sorting the evidence of their current case. Terry began to speak in a low tone.

"Bruce I think that there is more you are not telling me about my past and I really need to know what it is. For example, why have you not told me about the mission you had into the future with GL and Wonder Woman? According to the records I was involved in it."

Bruce was not surprised that Terry had found out about the mission since Terry was becoming almost as good as a detective as he was.

Terry continued "why have you kept the information on this mission from me all these years? Why do you need to control everything? Isn't that what you tried to do to Robin and Night Wing and everyone else. It's my life and I have the right to know about it"

"I am not trying to control your life I am just trying to protect you" Bruce responded

"If that is what you want to call it and by the way I don't need your protection, I can take care of myself," Terry almost shouted. Bruce knew that Terry was right and that he did owe him an explanation but he was concerned what would happen when Terry found out the whole truth about his past. Bruce decided it was now worth taking that chance instead of having Terry find out later resent him any further.

"OK Terry, I will tell you everything but first I want you to know that what I did was for a greater cause something bigger than just you and me. I knew about Cadmus' project Batman Beyond. I had been tailing Amanda Waller for months and knew she had a sample of my DNA and I was planning to put a stop to it."

"So why didn't you?" asked Terry

"Because I realized Amanda Waller was right. The world needed a Batman and it needed a Batman who was at his prime and not one who was getting old and losing his edge." So I just continued to watch her plan develop."

Bruce stopped for a moment to gather his thoughts. He wanted to make sure he explained what had happened accurately. "I knew she planned to find a couple just like my parents however, I was not sure how she planned on getting my DNA involved until I hacked into her computer system and located the reproductive specialist she was working with who happened to be an expert in nanotech solutions."

Terry was getting very impatient but waited for Bruce to continue.

"I do not know if you knew this or not but at that time I was romantically involved with Wonder Woman." Bruce watched to see Terry's reaction.

"At the time we went on the mission to the future we were still just good friends and the romance did not develop until later" Bruce clarified.

"Ok but what does that have to do with me?" Terry asked. This is where Bruce was not sure how to proceed since this next part was almost too painful for him to say but he continued.

"Well after we had been dating for a while, Diana came and told me that she was carrying our child. Obviously we had not planned on this happening. However, we were both very excited about it but decided not tell anyone. Unfortunately a few weeks later she had a miscarriage and it devastated her"

Terry could see the pain on Bruce's face and kept silent. Terry knew that Bruce had suffered through the losses of so many of the people close to him. "It seemed that there was nothing I could do to console her so she decided she needed to go back to Themsicara and stay with her mother and her sisters for a while."

Bruce took a long breath at this point and proceeded with the rest of the story. "I was not myself after she left. I decided to take advantage of Amanda Waller's plan and have her help me create a child between Diana and myself."

"Wait a minute are you trying to tell me that Wonder Woman is really my mother?" Terry asked in disbelief.

"Well biologically speaking the answer is yes. I knew if they could inject my DNA into your father, then I could inject Diana's DNA into your mother. As a major benefactor to the hospital I as Bruce Wayne had access to a sample of Diana's blood when she had gone in for her pregnancy test. Then I was able to convince the same doctor who injected your father to insert Diana's DNA into your mother before she got pregnant"

"How long do these injections last?" Terry asked. "They only last for a few months so your little brother is not genetically related to you if that is what you are wondering." Bruce added. "I always wondered why I had blue eyes and he did not." Terry said out loud.

Terry continued to state " What you did sounds awfully unethical on so many levels" He was not sure what he was having a harder time believing that he was Wonder Woman's son or that Batman was capable of that kind of manipulation.

"I know that but at the time I thought I was doing the right thing." Bruce said defensively "Anyway, after you were born I just kept on eye on you and your family wondering what Amanda was planning to do next. At that time I felt it was best to leave you alone and not interfere in your life unless you or your family was in danger. Then I discovered that she had hired an assassin to kill your parents and I was prepared to stop the assassin but for some reason the assassin was not able to carry out the mission." (Bruce had a feeling he knew the assassin was his fiancée Andrea Beaumont but he didn't want to tell that to Terry.)

When your parents divorced I made sure your father got a job at good job at Wayne-Powers Industries." Terry could not believe what he was hearing. "If you knew I was your son then why did you chase me away that first day I met you and found out you were Batman and why did you almost let Power's goons kill me?

"Because I realized that you deserved to have your live your own life. I knew that once you started wearing the suit and pursuing bad guys you would not be able to stop just like I did. You would eventually have to push away everyone close to you." Terry interrupted and asked, "What made you change your mind?" "When you told me how important it was to you to capture the people who were responsible for Warren's death. I knew I could not deny that to you."

"Does Wonder Woman know she has a son?" Terry asked "Not at first but I eventually told her when I felt the time was right" Bruce said sadly.

"Why didn't you tell her right away" Terry inquired. Bruce responded slowly "I have asked myself this question many times over the years and it was because I knew she needed to be home on the island and if she knew she had a child she would have left before she was ready but most of all I was afraid that she would never forgive me."

Bruce continued "After our mission to the future and I had a chance to see you and my older self I had a feeling that you might be related to me somehow." Terry was curious "How did you know that?"

"There were obvious similarities between you and me and I saw the way the older me looked at you like a father looks at a son. So I finally figured it out which is another reason why I knew I needed to let the Batman Beyond project continue. At that time I did not think that Diana remembered going on our mission to the future but sometime after we returned she mentioned it, which led me to believe she remembered the mission or somehow read the report that GL and I submitted and that she aware there was a next generation Batman.

Terry interjected at this point "Wait a minute if I am her son then why didn't I disappear when she did when that time you both came into the future?"

"I had often wondered about that myself and at first I thought she was never born or left the island at all but it must have meant that whatever event that caused her to disappear must have happened to her sometime after I obtained her DNA" suggested Bruce.

Terry could not understand why Bruce had kept such a huge secret from the woman he loved but then he realized that keeping secrets was just part of being Batman as he thought about the secret he was keeping from Dana. "When did you finally tell her?" he asked

"It was not long after you first became the new Batman. I decided that since you were old enough and now part of my life it was time to let her know. As you can imagine it was hard for her to take. On one hand she had a child that she always wanted but on the other hand she felt betrayed by me and cheated out of being part of your life. After quite some time she finally came to understand why I did what I did but she was still very angry."

"OK now I have a lot more questions. "Why has she not contacted me if she knows I am her son" Terry asked angrily.

"She wanted to very badly but she was not sure how you would respond to her since you already had a mother and she did not want to disrupt your life anymore than it already had been." Bruce said hoping Terry would understand.

As you know she has visited the mansion as often as she can and I send her pictures and updates often." Terry now realized that all the occasions when Wonder Woman came to visit Bruce they were not due to some sort of old Justice League business but were more of a personal nature. However Terry still felt completely devastated and confused.

Bruce continued "she also knew that even though you are her child you would not be welcomed on her island because you are a male. As you know Diana was banned from her home for quite some time after she let some of the male Justice League members including myself on the island to help them out."

Bruce felt he needed to clarify one more thing. "I once asked Diana why you did not seem to have any of her super powers and she explained to me that those would have to be bestowed upon you directly by the gods."

Terry thought he should feel honored to be the son of Batman and Wonder Woman yet what he felt at that moment was a deep sense of loss. He felt cheated out of having a normal life.

"Slag it! I can't believe you kept all of this a secret for so long but then again it took you more than six months to show me around the Batcave and even longer to find out about what happened to Night Wing, Batgirl and Robin and why you really stopped being Batman. I could be really angry about this and have nothing to do with either of you but I really do not want to end up like you all alone. Barbara once told me that she was angry that you ended up a lonely old man and Amanda Waller also told me that in order not to end up all alone like you I needed to take better care of the people who love me. I realize now the only way to do that is to balance a personal life while still being Batman. That is why I have asked Dana to marry me so do you think you and Diana would like to be invited to our wedding?


End file.
